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A K Rai

POLITICS

Why did PM and the President meet ?
A luncheon meeting between President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has generated heat in the political parties including the Congress. What transpired ? Anybody's guess ?

Will DK Mittal go to Rajya Sabha ?
Rumours are rife that former Secretary, Financial Services in the Government of India, D K Mittal will go to the Rajya Sabha from Samajwadi Party seat. Mittal is a retired 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

BUREAUCRACY

Who will be new Supreme Court Judge?
Who will fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Supreme Court Judge Aftab Alam ? Names of Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Justice D Murugesan and Chief Justice of the Kolkata High Court Justice Arun Mishra are in circulation in judicial circles .

Bassi to be new Police Commissioner ?
In all probability, Bhim Sen Bassi will succeed Neeraj Kumar as Delhi Police Commissioner. He is a 1977 batch IPS officer of UT cadre.

Yadav to go to WTO
Vir Vikram Yadav is all set to go to World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva. The 1996 batch IAS officer of Orissa cadre, Yadav is presently Director in the Ministry of Commerce.

Rajesh N Prasad to move to Netherlands
Rajesh N Prasad is all set to mark his presence in Netherlands as India's new Ambassador. The former Deputy High Commissioner of Indian High Commission, London, has been reporting to New Delhi on 'Consultation' since December 4. Prasad, an IFS officer of 1980 batch, would take over form Bhaswati Mukherjee, the incumbent Ambassador.

Kantha all set to take over from Sanjay Singh, Secretary (East)
Ashok Kantha, Indian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, is all set to succeed Sanjay Singh as Secretary (East) who is set to retire at the end of this month. Over four months overstay of Ashok Kantha in Sri Lanka had raised curiosity bars amid political crisis in the region. Kantha, a 1977 batch IFS officer, had completed three years tenure in November 2012 only.

Bhaswati in The Hague will retire in June and not in April
Bhaswati Mukherjee, Indian Ambassador to Netherlands, is retiring in the month of June this year. She is 1976 batch IFS officer who recently had the opportunity to receive the copy of judgement of ICJ on Kishanganga water disputes, which came in favour of India, between India and Pakistan.

Kusumjit Sidhu to be empanelled as Secretary ?
Newly appointed Additional Secretary, Industrial Policy and Promotion, in the Government of India, Ms Kusum Jit Sidhu is being empanelled to the rank of Secretary. She is a 1979 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

Who will be new LIC CMD ? (3) S K Roy
Zonal Manager East S K Roy is also a powerful contender for the post of CMD LIC. Infact, this post is considered to be equivalent to that of ED. Interview for the post will take place on April 23.

Administrative reshuffle on anvil at ITBP HQ
As the grapevine it, a routine reshuffle of officers is on the anvil. The transfers & postings, reportedly, may take place by the 1st or 2nd week of May.

Now CIT and CCIT transfers this week
Since the Finance Minister P Chidambaram is back from his foreign tour the transfer list of Commissioners of Income Tax (CIT) and Chief Commissioners of Income Tax (CCIT) is expected to be issued in a couple of days.

Interview for CMD and MD LIC on April 23
Interview for the post of CMD and 4 MDs of the LIC will take place in Delhi on April 23.

PESB invites applications for CMD, HUDCO
Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) has invited applications for the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) Ltd falling vacant on April 11, 2014.Those willing to apply can send their applications to the PESB before June 3, 2013.

Dilip Kumar poised for central deputation
Dilip Kumar is poised to move on central deputation on the post of Director. Kumar, after foreign training, served as Secretary, Finance Dept. Government of Punjab with additional charge of Secretary Planning. He is 1995 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

S S Mishra, DIG, ITBP, moved to Directorate Gen. INT Branch
S S Mishra, DIG, ITBP, has been transferred from Station HQ (BBR) to Directorate General INT Branch.

IIT Delhi awards NTPC CMD with Ph. D.
Arup Roy Chowdhary, CMD of NTPC has been awarded with Ph. D., provisionally, by IIT Delhi. He has to his credit a benchmark which he etched for future technocrats when he became the youngest Chief Executive of a Central Public Sector Enterprise when he joined as CMD of NBCC at the age of 44 years. He is a technocrat who did his Bachelors in Civil Engineering from BIT MESRA and his Masters in Management from IIT Delhi.

60 SAG/IRSE officers of 1983-1984 batches poised for JS
Whispers in the corridors of power have it that as many as 60 officers of SAG/IRSE of 1983-1984 batches are poised to be empanelled as Joint Secretary in the GoI.

Will Rajiv Mehta return to Meghalaya as DGP?
DG, Narcotics Control Bureau, Rajiv Mehta may be recalled by the Meghalaya Government as DGP. He is a 1981 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Mishra is new ADG, BSF
Rajnikant Mishra has joined as ADG in the Border Security Force (BSF). Posting of 1984 batch IPS officer Mishra is yet to be made.
(We said this on April 15, 2013)

Ritu Arora relieved to join CISF
Ritu Arora has been relieved to join the CISF as DIG. She is a 1995 batch IPS officer of Orissa cadre.
(We said this on February 7, 2013)

Post of Chairman Tuticorin Port Trust lying vacant
Tuticorin Port Trust now known as V O C Chidambaram Port Trust is headless these days. Post of Chairman for this Port Trust has been re-crculated.

Karnataka Chief Secretary gets two months extension (UPDATED)
Karnataka Chief Secretary S V Ranganath who was to retire on April 30 has been given two months extension in service. He is 1975 batch IAS officer.

Sonali Kumar is new Principal RC,J & K in Delhi
Sonali Kumar has been appointed as Principal Resident Commissioner(RC), Jammu &Kashmir Government in New Delhi. She is a 1979 batch IAS officer.

14 IAS officers transferred in J & K
Altogether 14 IAS officers have been reshuffled in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

IAS posting in Himachal Pradesh
On return from central deputation Tarun Shridhar has been appointed Principal Secretary, Horticulture and Fisheries.

10 posts of DIG vacant in SSB
As many as 10 posts of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) are lying vacant in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

A P Venkateswara Rao is likely to join SVP, NPA
A P Venkateswara Rao is likely to join central deputation at Inspector General level in SVP, NPA in Government of India. He is a 1989 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

Rajiv Gupta empanelled as Joint Secretary in GoI
Rajiv Gupta has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary or equivalent in Government of India. He is an Indian Telecommunication Service officer of 1982 batch.

Book of Arun Rath to be released on Monday
A Book "Antarctica Diary and Other Travel Stories" written by Dr Arun Kumar Rath IAS 1973 ( retd) in Odia language will be released on April22,2013 at New Delhi. The 210 page book containing 165 rare coloured photos has received rave reviews by eminent writers and has been hailed as a unique travelogue .Former Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development Govt of India, Dr Rath has documented his experiences in Antarctica and other destinations around the world in lucid style. The English version will be published in next six months.

Book of S C Panda to be released on Apr 24 (UPDATED)
A book 'Shirdi Sai Baba - The Perfect Master' authored jointly by S C Panda, presently AS & FA, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and his wife Mrs Smita Panda is being released on April 24, 2013 by Home Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde in the august presence of Guruji C B Satpathy at India International Centre, New Delhi. The book is a collection of eighteen articles written by a devoted Sai couple over several years. The book throws light on the multi-faceted aspects of divinity, magnanimity and universality of Shirdi Sai Baba. In very lucid and simple language, the authors have portrayed the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of this unique Sadguru. Panda is a 1981 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Tenure of Bhasin as ex-officio Director on UIIC board extended (UPDATED)
The tenure of T M Bhasin, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Bank as ex-officio Director on the Board of United India Insurance Company Limited (UIIC) has been extended from April 26, 2013 to March 31, 2015.

Siraj Hussain is new Secretary, Food Processing (UPDATED)
Siraj Hussain will take over as Secretary - Food Processing in the Government of India on May 1. He is 1979 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. This post is falling vacant on April 30 after the superannuation of Rakesh Kacker. Pm has cleared the appointment of Siraj Hussain.
(We said this on April 2)

A P Sawhney is PS, Health Medical & Family Welfare in AP (UPDATED)

A P Sawhney has been appointed as Principal Secretary, Health Medical & Family Welfare Department in Andhra Pradesh. He is a 1984 batch IAS officer
of Andhra Pradesh.

APCCF, Prabhakar Rao to retire in April (UPDATED)
J V K T Prabhakar Rao, presently Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests/Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, A P Education and Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation, Hyderabad, is retiring on April 30, 2013. He is a 1987 batch IFS officer.

Goyal is new Joint Secretary IT (UPDATED)
Raj Kumar Goyal has joined the Government of India on Monday as Joint Secretary IT. He is 1990 batch IAS officer of J & K cadre.
( We said this on April 1 )

Bansal gets extension in CERC (UPDATED)
Rajiv Bansal has been given extension as Secretary, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, for a period of three months beyond 16.4.2013 with the direction to Ministry of Power that no further extension will be given. He is 1988 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre.

Ms Gamlin gets extension for one year (UPDATED)
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for extension of Central deputation tenure of Ms. Shakuntala D. Gamlin, IAS Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for aperiod of one year beyond l6.04.2013. She is 1984 batch UT cadre IAS officer.

CORPORATE

M L Shanmukh, Director (HR), BEL elected Member, SCOPE
ML Shanmukh who joined Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) as Director (Human Resources) in August 2004, is also one of the 19 Board Members of Standing Conference of Public Enterprise (SCOPE) who were elected during the recently held bi-annual elections of the apex body of Central Government owned Public Enterprises. Before being elevated to the BEL Board, he was Group General Manager (HRD) at Container Corporation of India, a blue chip PSU under the Ministry of Railways. Prior to that, he had worked in the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited. In order to address the Learning and Organisation Development needs, various Management Development programs as well as technology programs have been organised in the company during his tenure. Shanmukh, a BEL nominee Director on the Board of BEL's subsidiary Company, BEL Optronic Devices Ltd. (BELOP), is also the Chairman of the Audit Committee in BELOP and a member of Shareholders / Investors Grievance Committee in BEL.

Rajesh A ceases to be Company Secy., Muthoot Finance Ltd
Rajesh A has ceased to be Company Secretary of Muthoot Finance Ltd.

Singla appointed National Head (Debt Financing Services), Cushman & Wakefield
Praveen Singla has been appointed as National Head (Debt Financing Services) of real estate consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Alex appointed GM, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa
Ranju Alex has been appointed as General Manager of Goa Marriott Resort & Spa

Nath appointed Addl. Director, Bronze Infra-Tech Ltd
Bronze Infra-Tech Ltd has appointed Prasanta Nath as the Additional Director of the company.

Sharma resigns as Independent Director, Bronze Infra-Tech Ltd
Sumit Sharma has resigned as Independent Director of Bronze Infra-Tech Ltd

Gupta resigns as Whole-time Director, Supreme Tex Mart Ltd
Sanjay Gupta has resigned as Whole-time Director of Supreme Tex Mart Ltd.

Aga appointed Addl. Director, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts Ltd
Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited has appointed Sanjeev Aga as an Additional Director of the company.

Gulati appointed COO, DY Works
DY Works has appointed Rekha Pamani-Gulati as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Krige appointed GM, The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
Shane Krige has been appointed as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore.

(The views expressed in this column are of the contributors. We do not owe any responsibility, whatsoever, of the views of our surfers as they are their personal opinion. However, we would also request our contributors not to be personal, directly or indirectly, in presenting their views. Instead of countering the views which ‘X’ has already expressed, our contributors are advised to present their own views. Also be brief, say about 200 words at the most since any views longer than that if eliminated at our end would carry the risk of the contrbutor’s item losing its original essence)

Going to Indian Jails in British regime

"Going to jails these days has become a fashion for recognition" remarked Ambedkar in one of his writings/speeches published by Govt. of Maharashtra. Further, as is well known treatment meted out in jails to VIP protesters and ordinary participants used to be and is different even today. It is insane to presume that if one doesn't fast like Anna Hazare and force Govt. to put him in symbolic jail, one is lesser dedicated to the cause of anti corruption than Anna Hazare and one does not believe in freedom of country from corruption the way Anna Hazare wants it. The same way Gandhiji being head of the congress had his own way while most of those days non congress leaders differed with him, Ambedkar being one of such leaders. Undoubtedly, people who went to jails or did not go to jail in movement both do command equal respect. But people who went to British jails don't enjoy any superior status over who did not go to jails. Indian history is full of such examples wherein people never visited jails but dedicated their lives. Going to British jails was no parameter to evaluate one's dedication to freedom and his contribution to freedom movement and role towards amelioration of untouchables of India. What mattered and does matter is the change in lives of Indian by leaders like Gandhi, Subhash and Ambedkar towards amelioration of Indians. Pre-planned agitations to go to jails and fasting dont change lives, they only give prominence to individuals. Sympathies with those who think that leaders who advocated fasting and going to jails did something greater than those Indian leaders who fought for independence of Indian through other means.

Singh R K

Debate about present reservation policy useless !

Even after 60 years of reservation, I find it laughable to see the debates in your portal about the present reservation policy. Even the great Ambedkar never visualized it to continue for more than a decade. India is a land of clans, tribes and races. Among the castes itself there is no uniformity..There are hundreds of sub-castes even among scheduled tribes; some of them like the Kurichiya tribe of the Vayanad district of Kerala show their superiority by doing purification ceremony even if a Brahmin enters their house. In Rajastan alone there are more than two dozen SCs and a dozen STs , most of them keeping their own identity. A mind boggling numbers of castes and tribes are listed in the schedule all over the country. There are past rulers among them and some of the sub-groups are educationally and financially well off.The bracketing of all into a general group of castes and tribes have enabled certain castes like Meenas of Rajasthan to corner more than their share of the reservation benefits. No wonder many affluent castes are demanding inclusion as OBCs and OBCs demanding to be 'promoted' as SCs and STs into STs even after 60 years of independence. The vociferous among them after getting reservation benefits, some for three generations demand perpetual continuation of the policy and even demanding reservation in promotion on a trumped up discrimination. The persons who come through the reservation always carry a stigma and an inferiority complex and their cry of discrimination can be traced to this. It is time we do away with reservation since it has not benefited a majority of those to whom it is intended. Many of those benefited from the reservation policy look down on their own caste and marry from outside. Make economic condition the sole basis for state's benevolence. Give those 'have not' children irrespective of caste or tribe free education at the best schools and give meritorious among them stipends and benefits like free hostel and costs for preparation for competitive exams. Let every body be in a level playing field and merit alone be considered in the exams. This only can bring pride to those now 'mocked at' as reservation groups. That also will prevent the vociferous among them cornering all reservation benefits in the name of caste.

N Krishnan

A clarification please

Babasaheb was forced to reject the idea of separate electorates because of Gandhi blackmail tactics-that is going on fast unto death. Babasaheb gave in to the appeal by Gandhi's family and that's why Dalits have always felt cheated by Gandhi. Babasaheb gave up Hinduism which has and continues to treat human beings worst than animals ,because he did not want to die as a Hindu.

S Rao

No blame game on Civil Services Day

The PM is urged not to blame the bureaucracy on the Civil Services Day (April 21,2013). While giving a pep talk to India Inc at the last CII annual meeting, the PM while admitting that coalition and corruption were problems, spared no efforts in blaming the Indian bureaucracy saying that the "bureaucratic inertia" posed a problem for investors. This realisation came a decade too late. The Indian bureaucracy in its anxiety to please the political masters , has lost its way in the labyrinths of corridors of powers. Compulsions of Coalition politics, Corruption and Bureaucratic inertia, are now indivisible parts of Indian polity. It would be appropriate for the PM to suggest steps to make the bureaucrats perform their duties diligently as per Constitution of India, independent of political interferences

A K Saxena (A retired civil servant) aksaxena@nic.in

Use of celebrating Civil Services Day ?

Civil Services Day will be celebrated with PM giving awards to some IAS officers for their "outstanding contribution " . Will he also announce sacking of police officers who were shown mercilessly beating old lady protesting against brutal rape and murder of a girl in Aligarh and ACP slapping a lady protester in Delhi today. What is the use of celebrating Civil Services Day when police force is perceived as criminals in uniform with no sign of police reforms being introduced .

Sudhir Chopra

Civil Services Day

Today is the day for civil service officers . The person who started this practice of celebration seven years ago had no vision except some meeting at Vigyan Bhavan , lunch etc. The issues facing the Indian Bureaucracy never forms the part of agenda. For records purposes the day is declared to be inclusive covering two dozen services the Govt of India has procreated over six decades of independence. The British them self would have shocked witnessing the virility in this sector. Shamelessly the IAS occupy top slots of all the department at the state level and ministries at the center disregarding the capability of the officers handling the work for decades. Ours must be the only country where even medical and other professional bodies are headed by
IAS. The other services lack confidence and are generally thrown around. There exists class based discrimination where in the IAS is given two years advantage by none other than DOPT. While 91 batch IAS are JS the officers from other services suffering at various degrees depending on the Service they belong. The bureaucracy (IAS) keeps on praising the growth of Indian Economy . The fact is that its saturating. Unlike Japan where the growth has reached saturation level after development, India will reach stagnation at defective level of growth. Thus the Indians will bw settling for dusty and crowded cities, slow trains, dirty water , no electricity , poverty in other forms will prevail. The moneyed people are given exemptions in Taxes , the middle class and poor are Taxed un apologetically . Its not for the other services who do not have full secretaries of their own to impress the political decision making , it is for the IAS to realize the requirement of technical development of the Nation and make way for the broad based bureaucracy.

Shari

Can Bureaucrats really work independently ?

It is a tall order to expect the Prime Minister to advise the bureaucrats on the Civil Services day to perform their duties diligently without fear of their political bosses as also not to brook political interference. How can they act independently when they are always seeking favours from their political bosses and hankering after post-retirement jobs. As for doing their job without fear they meet the fate of Haryana cadre IAS officer who has been humiliated and transferred 42 times in his career of two decades. There are others examples also when for doing their job honestly and without fear the officers have been punished with transfer or even suspension. As long as politicians have the power to favour or harass the bureaucrats (PM is no exception) things will remain the same as most of bureaucrats have become greedy, dishonest and self-centred. Ones with idealism suffer in this rotten environment. Things can change if a few simple reforms are brought about. Begin with no extension or post retirement cushy job for anyone. See how your heads of CBI, IB and others start doing their work with utmost honesty and stop taking orders from their political patrons.

Aarti Khosla